Video: The Origin Of The BMW Logo Explained

Back in January, a story in the New York Times dispelled the ’spinning propeller’ myth of the BMW roundel. As our own Hugo Becker wrote …

Back in January, a story in the New York Times dispelled the ’spinning propeller’ myth of the BMW roundel. As our own Hugo Becker wrote at the time, the the origins of the blue and white checker in the BMW roundel has nothing to do with a propeller.

At the time, we went on explaining where the logo started and how it evolved over time.

“Instead it has everything to do with the national colors of Bavaria, which is, of course, incorporated in the name of the company. One only has to look at the logo used by the company BMW emerged from, Rapp Motor Works, to understand.”

Today, BMW releases an official video explaining the origin of the roundel and sets the record straight and clears any misconceptions.

What is the most powerful element for a brand? Well, very simple: the logo. Many of us recognize a logo from a mile a way, …

Babken

Thank you for this video. I’m familiar with BMW history and it was nice to view the video.

Andrew

show off…lol. =)

FreudeKing

It doesn’t really explain why the middle is blue and white. Also, do they fiddle so much to put the logo onto the car? Rather unprofessional in my opinion (it’s like the woman was putting it on the first time in her life), also take note of the distance that she has to walk to put on a logo. This is definitely not my idea of efficient production…..

David

Excuse me, are you commenting on the same video? It does explain the core of the logo being blue & white, the national colors of Bavaria ring a bell? And as far as the roundel being placed on the car… don’t you think this was done by an actor for the video? Did it look like the BMW factory to you? The bigger question is… why am I even responding to this absurd post?!?

FreudeKing

I know, but the clip just said that it was a myth that it resembles the spinning propellers on the planes. Seeing tha they have been trying to show that BMW is a great manufacturer and car company, I would have expected that it was in the scene of production, especially with all the other badges and gloves.

If they were trying to imitate the production process, then it was really inefficient and clumsy. If you argue that it was not, then how do you explain all the badges and the gloves that the woman was wearing – and that outfit or hers.

Let me guess, why else would you place a badge on your 7 Series? Maybe someone stole your original one, is that what BMW is trying to show here? that the woman was replacing a stolen badge on the 7. I guess not.

So I guess that these are flaws in the video that people overlook and these are the little things that slip in the marketing department. I pay attention to detail, especially when it is the company that I love. I want everything to be perfect.

BMfan

@David, you should’ve noticed there is an unspoken decision on the part of true lovers of BMW to ignore these hate comments-they’re not worth the attention they’ve been getting. You should know they all come the same source which I won’t further popularize by naming.
The rule is ignore, ignore, ignore. Treat them as if they don’t exist.

FreudeKing

I am a true lover, YET OBJECTIVE, which is what some of you don’t have. To love something truely, you want it to be perfect and would natuarlly criticise if there are flaws such as slip ups like these. This is also not a hate comment, it is an observation of flaws.

What source? The source of objective fans? You see, with your level of attention to detail and blindly saying taht you love BMW …blah blah blah, will not get BMW anywhere.

I think the best sort of people to ignore would be people like you because these people will always lack objectivity and sense.

I should actually consider why I am wasting time with you, perhaps to let other fans see what type of “so called fans” we have. PITY

bob

BIMMER, February 2008, published a Letter to Ed., from BMW author, David Lightfoot, who opined that the center of the BMW logo may have been ‘inspired’ by a Bavarian royal family design used on china and other household items.

The accompanying picture of a cup & saucer, alledgedly crica 1840s, clearly shows a round symbol with four quadrants. The upper left and lower right in blue, upper right and lower left in white. Weiss mit blau.